Week 6 Prediction

This week Penn State travels to Bloomington, Indiana for a Leaders Division clash with the Indiana Hoosiers.  Both teams are coming off bye weeks, so this game will serve as the official start to conference play.  Indiana comes in with a record of 2-2 (losing to both Missouri and Navy), while Penn State's only loss was by 3 points to the UCF Golden Knights (a much better team than Missouri or Navy).  Anyway, let's get to the breakdown!

The Good
The Hoosiers have never beaten the Nittany Lions since they began playing in 1993.  The series currently stands at 16-0 in Penn State's favor.  Despite being the Big Ten's perennial doormat, Indiana is supposed to be improved this year, although their 2 losses suggest otherwise.  The problem is usually their atrocious defense.  Case in point, so far this year, Indiana's rush defense ranks last in the Big Ten.  So expect PSU"s trio of backs to have a very nice day.  On the other hand, Indiana's offense has rarely disappointed, and this year is no exception as they lead the Big Ten in total offense.  Their passing game is especially deadly and if their freshman QB Nate Sudfeld gets into a rhythm with his talented receivers, Penn State will be on shootout alert.  The great news for the Lions, though, is that linebacker Mike Hull is back from injury!  As a backup last year, Hull was primarily used in passing situations, so hopefully he provides a nice boost to a young and still unproven secondary.

The Bad
As stated above, Indiana has a potent aerial attack, currently ranked 8th in the country.  They're 11th nationally in scoring as well.  So it's fairly safe to say that no matter how well the defense plays, Indiana is going to put points on the board this week.  Penn State safety Ryan Keiser is out with an injury for a secondary that could definitely use him.  And let's not forget that Penn State plays Michigan next Saturday in a much anticipated Homecoming night game (sort of, if you consider a 5pm kickoff to be a night game).  That game is sold out and they're calling for a full stadium White Out.  Why is that bad?  Because this might turn out to be a look-ahead situation.  If the Lions think they can just steamroll Indiana like they have the past 16 meetings, they could be in for a serious disappointment.

The Story
Indiana is known for basketball, not football.  Still, head coach Kevin Wilson is making significant strides in his brief tenure in Bloomington, and this may be a team to watch in future years.  However, it's most likely a year early as Penn State has history on their side and a noticeable talent advantage.  Additionally, Indiana's defense simply doesn't look like it's ready to play with the big boys.  Penn State, conversely, has always been known for its defense, but has struggled to keep up with the times on the offensive side of the ball.  Bill O'Brien appears to be changing all that in a hurry.  His pro-style offense, lead by freshman phenom Christian Hackenberg can score plenty of points and keep PSU in games.  If the defense plays like it did in 3/4 of their games this year, instead of like they did against UCF, expect a comfortable win on the road to start the Big Ten season.  Oh, and lest we forget, last year it was a cut block on team leader Michael Mauti during the Indiana game that ended his season.  Expect the team to remember that and come out angry.

The Prediction
We see the Hack-Rob Connection (trademark) score twice, as Hackenberg goes for 250 yds and Robinson is the recipient of at least 100 of them.  The 3-headed monster at running back scores 3 TDs, although it's anyone's guess which of the trio actually scores them.  But it's not all about the offense.  On defense, Deion Barnes gets a sack, Mike Hull comes back from injury in a big way with an interception, and Da'Quan Jones once again leads the team in tackles.  Penn State wins 41 - 28.

Kickoff is at Noon on the Big Ten Network.  Have an awesome gameday, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for live coverage during the game!